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Refugee

Refugees and people needing protection are people in or outside Canada who fear returning to their home country. In keeping with its humanitarian tradition and international obligations, Canada provides protection to thousands of people every year.

Canada offers refugee protection to people in Canada who fear persecution or whose removal from Canada would subject them to a danger of torture, a risk to their life or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

Groups and individuals can sponsor refugees from abroad who qualify to come to Canada

Eligibility
Some people are not eligible to claim refugee protection in Canada. Officers receiving your refugee claim will decide whether it is eligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), an independent administrative tribunal that makes decisions on immigration and refugee matters. The IRB decides who is a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection. Your refugee claim may not be eligible for referral to the IRB if:
  • You have been recognized as a Convention refugee by another country to which you can return;
  • You have already been granted protected person status in Canada;
  • You arrived via the Canada-United States border (see Safe Third Country Agreement below);
  • You are not admissible to Canada on security grounds, or because of criminal activity or human rights violations;
  • You made a previous refugee claim that was found to be ineligible for referral to the IRB;
  • You made a previous refugee claim that was rejected by the IRB; or
  • You abandoned or withdrew a previous refugee claim.
There are two ways to apply for refugee protection in Canada:
  • You can make a claim when you arrive in Canada, at the port of entry. This could be at an airport, a seaport or a Canada-United States border crossing. At ports of entry, claims are received by officers of the Canada Border Services Agency.
  • You can also make a claim from within Canada at a Citizenship and Immigration Canada office.

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PR Card Renewal

The Permanent Resident Card is the official proof of your status as a permanent resident in Canada.
This wallet-sized plastic card is required for all permanent residents of Canada seeking to re-enter Canada on a commercial carrier (airplane, boat, train or bus).

There have been some changes to the look of the PR Card, as well as some of its security features. The new cards began circulating August 24, 2009.

If you are a current permanent resident, you will only receive a new card when your existing card expires. If you are a new permanent resident, you will automatically receive your new card as part of the immigration process.

You can apply for a PR Card if:
  • you received permanent resident status before June 28, 2002;
  • you became a permanent resident after June 28, 2002 but did not receive a PR Card at that time; or
  • you need to replace an expired, lost or stolen PR Card.
To be eligible for a PR Card, you must:
  1. be a permanent resident of Canada;
  2. be physically present in Canada;
  3. not be under an effective removal order;
  4. not be a Canadian citizen or a registered Indian under the Indian Act; and
  5. not be convicted of an offense related to the misuse of a PR card.

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Citizenship

If you want to become a Canadian citizen, you must follow several steps:
  • Determine if you are eligible to become a citizen.
  • Apply for citizenship.
  • Take the citizenship test, if you are between the ages of 18 and 54.
  • Attend a citizenship ceremony, if you are 14 or older.
Age
You must be at least 18 years old to apply for Canadian citizenship.

To apply for citizenship for a child under 18, make sure the following conditions are met:
  • the person applying is the child’s parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian
  • the child is a permanent resident, but does not need to have lived in Canada for three years and
  • one parent is already a Canadian citizen or is applying to become a citizen at the same time. This also applies to adoptive parents.
Permanent resident status
To become a Canadian citizen, you must have permanent resident status in Canada, and that status must not be in doubt. This means you must not be the subject of an immigration investigation, an immigration inquiry or a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada).

Time lived in Canada
To become Canadian citizens, adults must have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before applying. Children do not need to meet this requirement.

You may be able to count time you spent in Canada before you became a permanent resident if that time falls within the four-year period.

Language abilities
Canada has two official languages—English and French. You need to be able to speak one of these two languages well enough to communicate with people. In other words, you must know enough English or French to understand other people and for them to understand you.

Criminal history (prohibitions)
You cannot become a citizen if you:
  • have been convicted of an indictable (criminal) offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act in the three years before you apply
  • are currently charged with an indictable offence or an offence under the Citizenship Act
  • are in prison, on parole or on probation
  • are under a removal order (have been ordered by Canadian officials to leave Canada)
  • are under investigation for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity or
  • have had your Canadian citizenship taken away in the past five years.
If you are on probation or are charged with an offence and are awaiting trial, you should wait until after the probation has ended or the trial is over to apply for citizenship.

If you have spent time on probation, on parole or in prison in the last four years, you may not meet the residence requirement for citizenship.

Time in prison or on parole does not count as residence in Canada. Time on probation also does not count as residence in Canada if you were convicted of an offence. If you have spent time on probation from a conditional discharge, it may be counted toward residence. For details, contact the Call Centre (see Contact Us at the top of this page).

Knowledge of Canada
To become a citizen, you must know the rights and responsibilities of citizens, such as the right and responsibility to vote. You must also know some things about Canada’s history and geography, and about its political system.

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IRB Appeal

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is Canada's largest independent administrative tribunal. It is responsible for making well-reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law.

The IRB decides, among other responsibilities, who needs refugee protection among the thousands of claimants who come to Canada annually.

Our consultants’ mission is to resolve our client’s immigration and refugee cases efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law.    

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